Resilient Social Networks and Mobility Strategies among Migrants in Cape Town

How do migrants forge resilience in the face of exclusion and precarity in a global city? In “Resilient Social Networks and Mobility Strategies among Migrants in Cape Town,” Tamuka Chekero provides insightful answers. Drawing on in-depth ethnographic research, Chekero examines how migrants from marginalized regions across Africa utilise social networks and mobility strategies to negotiate the complex realities of post-apartheid Cape Town. By exploring the Shona concept of hushamwari, the study reveals the intricate ways migrants build and sustain social ties to access livelihoods, healthcare, and a sense of belonging in a city marked by exclusion. Chekero challenges the nationalistic framework of the state, highlighting the dynamic interplay of mobility, networks, and adaptation in shaping migrant resilience. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand migration, resilience, and urban belonging in the Global South. 

“Chekero’s book is at once mundane and transformational. It captures events and interactions that shape spaces and lives below the headlines. It deliberately and humanely reflects migration and urban changes often overlooked and demonstrates the conceptual and theoretical value of doing so.” Loren B. Landau, professor of migration and development, Oxford University, research professor, University of the Witwatersrand

 “An insightful exploration of urban mobility, belonging, and conviviality, this book introduces ‘hushamwari’—a concept of support, solidarity, and structured friendship—as both a practice and theoretical framework. Essential reading for scholars of urban studies.” Shannon Morreira, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Umthombo Centre for Student Success, University of Cape Town

“This book reimagines migration as an intricate interplay of movement, revealing often- overlooked dimensions of exchange, transformation, and meaning.” Gofrey Maringira, Professor of Social Anthropology, Sol Plaatje University

“This thorough, engaging account of migrancy in contemporary Cape Town could not be more timely. In a City marked by the worst effects of social exclusion historically, the book brings life – quite literally – beyond the stories of struggle and survival.” Noëleen Murray, Professor, Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria